TeleHealth Services and Franciscan Health System Further Partnership in Interactive Patient Education Technology

ENUMCLAW, Wash. and RALEIGH, N.C., March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TeleHealth Services, the nation's leading provider of healthcare-grade televisions and interactive patient education solutions, today announced an extended partnership with the Franciscan Health System, which has chosen TeleHealth as its interactive patient education and entertainment partner for the new hospital in Enumclaw.

St. Elizabeth Hospital opened Feb. 2, 2011, replacing the aging Enumclaw Regional Hospital. Leaders at the Franciscan facility sought a solutions provider that could deliver the latest in technology for practical patient care and incorporate their faith-based approach.

The TeleHealth TIGR system's reporting features will aid the critical-access facility in its goal of achieving a paperless environment. After reviewing effective integrations of the TIGR interactive system at Franciscan's hospital in nearby Gig Harbor, WA, representatives of the Enumclaw facility selected TeleHealth to deliver health-promotion, patient-safety and disease-prevention information in the patient-care setting.

TeleHealth will provide a 4-channel TIGR system, which will bring on-demand patient education to the patient bedside and allow staff access to the system from any PC in the facility. As the nation's leading interactive patient education solution, TIGR enables hospitals to improve the patient experience while increasing the value, quality and service of healthcare delivery. Additionally, the TIGR system will act as a patient satisfaction technology, surveying patients and reporting the results immediately to the proper personnel. Complemented by automated documentation capabilities and comprehension testing, TIGR simplifies education delivery and service recovery. These features will aid in driving Franciscan's patient-centric strategy.

"A key focus as we move forward is to keep pace with advances in global healthcare technology," said John Mueller, director of education for Franciscan Health System. "TIGR is patient-focused by design and its educational components will support our patient care goals. The interactive system's interoperability among hospital applications is a core feature."

"Enumclaw's educational goals provided many synergies with the TIGR solutions ability to strengthen patient relationships and help patients overcome literacy challenges leading to better patient outcomes," said Dan Nathan, vice president and general manager of TeleHealth Services. "The consistent growth of our TIGR interactive patient education system demonstrates that with the right services and solutions, hospitals can effectively drive brand performance and patient loyalty though improvement of patient health outcomes. We are honored to be working with Enumclaw and partnering in their continuing commitment to create innovative patient environments that serve the patients healthcare needs and recovery goals."

About St. Elizabeth Hospital

St. Elizabeth Hospital in Enumclaw, WA, is the newest facility in the Franciscan Health System, which also operates four other hospitals in Washington: St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood, and St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor. Additionally, the Franciscan organization includes a network of primary care and specialty care medical clinics and providers in the South Puget Sound region. Franciscan Health System is affiliated with Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives, one of the largest non-profit health systems in the U.S. Franciscan is ranked among the Top 100 Integrated Health Networks in the nation by SDI, an information and research company.

About TeleHealth Services:

With more than 2,500 healthcare clients across the country, TeleHealth Services is the nation's leading provider of integrated technology and communications solutions for the healthcare market. Combining 50+ years of healthcare expertise and partnerships with industry leading manufacturers, TeleHealth Services is uniquely positioned to offer a full suite of hospital technology solutions that includes:

Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., TeleHealth Services is a division of Telerent Leasing Corporation. Telerent, founded in 1957, operates as a subsidiary of ITOCHU International, Inc. For more information on TeleHealth, call 800-733-8610, or visit at http://www.telehealth.com/.